Family Nights are a great introduction to the night sky for our younger guests. Look through telescopes, make some space crafts, visit the Skylab and find out what's really up there!  Family Nights require tickets to be purchased in advance. This program runs regardless of sky or weather conditions. If skies are clear you can check out the night sky through a variety of telescopes including the biggest optical telescope in Canada! The evening also includes a presentation in our new Skylab that offers great (virtual) night sky viewing.

Speaker: Dr Amy Shaw, York University

http://universe.utoronto.ca/planetarium/public-planetarium-shows Shows at 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 p.m. New stars are constantly being born. Some live long and steady lives while others burn hot and end their lives in a huge explosion. Join the UofT to explore the incredible lives of these giant nuclear furnaces in the sky.

Shelley Wright, Assistant Professor, Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_October_23,_2014

The moon is between us and the sun. Without the moon in the sky at night, deep sky objects are easier to observe.

Stephen Morris, J. Tuzo Wilson Professor of Geophysics, University of Toronto 2014 J. Tuzo Wilson Lecture

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orionids

See the milky way and galaxies with the unaided eye. Point your telescope to find the many dim deep space objects that sprinkle the sky. Away from Toronto's light pollution, there is so much to see. We observe from the Long Sault Conservation area, an hour outside of Toronto. We meet around dusk once a month in the parking lot for views only seen in dark sky conditions. We hold this event on the first clear night of our week-long window, so the date and time are determined closer to.

Speaker: Dr. Michael Reid, Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto. For thousands of years, people have wondered whether, in the vastness of the cosmos, life exists anywhere other than on Earth. With the recent discoveries of hundreds of potentially habitable planets orbiting stars other than our Sun, we are tantalizingly close to answering this question. Star Talk nights offer great talks by great speakers on astronomy, space science and sometimes, science fiction.

In honour of Robert J. Sawyer's receipt of the Lifetime Achievement Aurora Award from the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, the Mississauga Public Library is pleased to present a FREE one-day science-fiction festival. Rob asked the Mississauga Public Library to get his "dream team" to join him at this event, and they did. Speaking and reading will be:

Join us at the Ontario Science Centre for our monthly Solar Observing on the TelusScape observing pad. This is the area in front of the Science Centre's entrance. We use specialized telescopes that are safe to aim at the Sun. Check our home page on the Friday prior for go/no-go calls as this event is weather dependent.